Note: I'm no longer actively involved in running this site, so while I welcome any personal messages, please do not contact me about account issues. Please direct all such inquiries to Panda. Thanks for all the years of awesome memories and friendship! <3

Note: I'm no longer actively involved in running this site, so while I welcome any personal messages, please do not contact me about account issues. Please direct all such inquiries to Panda. Thanks for all the years of awesome memories and friendship! <3

And would you consider sharing these with the Artist Beware community on LJ? I think these would make a nice addition to helping explain things and give examples there.

Possibly. I don't really go to places like that, but I suppose I could. I'd want to polish up the text a bit, first, and create a TeX/PDF version with both posts combined (the next feature of my PDF compiler code).

Note: I'm no longer actively involved in running this site, so while I welcome any personal messages, please do not contact me about account issues. Please direct all such inquiries to Panda. Thanks for all the years of awesome memories and friendship! <3

If you are going to make a comment, please don't put less than a single sentence saying, "Great, nice style." I've been seeing this a lot lately and despite saying "I like your style," this can be annoying and quite dull.I'm not saying never say you like their style, but if it's that alone, the comment is basically spam taking up space. Use colorful language when commenting and point out things you particularly like about their art. Tell them why you like their style.

Overall, try to keep your comments from becoming cliché and dull. Make a statement when you comment. This makes the artist feel good about their art. So, if you really care about someone's art, make a statement.

Thanks,Uncle-Noob

Logged

Still confused? Then perhaps this will enlighten you!

Middledistancerunner. I managed to save just a little bit of money. You and I can both get jobs, and we'll finally see what it means to be living.

Overall, try to keep your comments from becoming cliché and dull. Make a statement when you comment. This makes the artist feel good about their art. So, if you really care about someone's art, make a statement.

I'd have to 100% agree with you on that. I know sometimes I might do it. But, getting a input on a piece of art is nice to see what you're doing right. Its good to always create something more when commenting and saying your doing something well.

Bumping this as we have a lot of great generous artists who have been offering requests lately so it's always good to have a reminder about request ediquette

First thing I want to make clear is that requests and commissions are NOT the same thing. Commissions involve money, requests are work done for free. There is a HUGE difference when someone doesn't finish a commission vs someone who doesn't finish a request

When you commission someone you are giving them money. This artists is entering a deal where they are providing a service (their art) in exchange for such money. For them to take that money without giving a product is theft. Someone taking requests is doing it out of the kindness in their heart and are not entering any type of deal so therefore are under absolutely no obligation to finish your request

So for some basic requesting etiquette

Always read all the artists rules for their requests. Most artists will have some type of rules associated with their requests. Whether you have to have so many posts, a certain character species/type/gender or you need to say a certain word. Carefully read all these rules before making your request, if an artist is possibly going to spend hours making something for you for free you can take 5 minutes to read their entire post. If you don't follow the rules don't expect free art

Only request art if you like the artists style, don't just request because it's freeIt's extremely discouraging to an artist if you only request something because it was free and not because you enjoy their style. It's also nice to tell the artist what you like about their art etc, especially if they do a piece for you

Only ask for what the artist is offering. If the artist is offering sketches don't ask for a digital piece, if the artist is offering chibis don't ask for a ref sheet. The artist is probably offering what they are because they want to practice a certain skill or because they find a particular style fun. Asking for something larger than what they are offering is considered quite rude.

Don't ask artists who aren't open requests for a drawing. A lot of artists are trying to make money off their work so unless they say "I'm open for requests" don't ask them to give you art for free. It can be considered very rude and make artists who are trying to sell or trade their work feel like their work isn't worth anything

If the artist says your idea or character is too complicated respect that. Don't keep going back and asking them to try it if they don't want to or feel like they can't. This is free art so an artist may not want to spend hours trying to figure out how to draw that certain pose or drawing a bunch of horns or stripes. If you have really complicated character designs, outfits or wanted special poses etc requests may not be right for you and you may want to look into purchasing commissioned work

Don't bug the artist for updates. This is free art they are 100% not obligated to finish your request ever. Many of our members are in school, clubs, teams etc and do not have a lot of free time everyday to work on requests. Constantly asking for updates can make an artist feel stressed or frustrated

Don't ask for 100 changes on your request. It's typically considered ok to politely ask for a change if an artist misses one of your characters markings. However they are under no obligation to fix it since there is no money involved.

ALWAYS say thank you. I cannot stress this enough. It is extremely rude to not say thank you and can make the artist feel horrible. Even if they just coloured in some lineart for you they took quite a bit of time out of their day to do that for you for free. They could have been doing 100 other things but decided to do this for you. By not saying thank you, you make the artist feel terrible, wasted their time and often make them feel bad about their art

Support the artists for reasons other than free art. A lot of our artists here have art threads, it's a great idea to support their work by commenting on these threads saying what you like etc when they aren't offing requests. No one likes having their normal work ignored and then having everyone start posting when they open for requests. By just commenting on your fellow users normal work from time to time can make them feel a lot better and not feel like they are just free art machines

Dont befriend people just for free art or expect free art from you friends. Some people may make art for their friends, some may not and you should respect their wishes either way. Never befriend someone because you know they give art to their friends and you want some. This is extremely degrading as it shows you don't want to get to know them as a person, you just want a free art machine

Sorry for the huge list but hopefully some of this info will help. None of this is typically a banable offence but by following it you'll help make your fellow artist members feel a lot more valued

Also if you haven't read the main post by Meadow yet please do as she words this a lot more elegantly than I:

Free ArtSimply put, character artwork is a privilege, not a right, even in an art-centric group. You do not have the inherent right to have your character drawn by someone, and no artist is under any obligation to draw you for free. Ever. So, the best advice when asking for free artwork is "Don't". Good artwork takes talent and time; not just the time taken to draw your picture, but the time taken to draw every picture the artist has ever drawn, which shaped their style and skills for your picture. That's no small accomplishment, regardless of the artist's skill level. So, saying "I want free art!" means "I think art is worthless and artists' skills aren't worth compensating", whether you intended it that way or not. And the FT staff don't take kindly to starting threads for the purpose of begging for art, or inappropriately requesting free work from an artist who isn't offering it.

That said, money's tight for everyone, especially young people, so not everyone has the extra funds to pay an artist a fair fee for a commission. Luckily, there are lots of artists who offer free work! Their reasons vary; usually they're fairly new and looking for subject matter to build their skills, and/or they haven't worked up the self esteem necessary to properly value their own talent (a common problem among artists). Whatever the reason, it's pretty common for artists to offer free work, but never, ever treat it as a common occurance, or take this for granted. Here are some basics when responding to free art offers.

1. Show gratitude. An artist offering free artwork is like a gourmet chef offering free samples, it's a true treat that should be savoured. Thank the artist for their work, and for making the offer at all, and show your appreciation by promoting them to your friends. Don't do it by saying "Hey, this person's offering free work", but something along the lines of "This artist was generous enough to draw me for free, and they did a great job!". Above all, never ever take a free piece of art for granted.

2a. Follow the rules. Almost every artist who offers free artwork puts conditions on that offer, so make sure to carefully and thoroughly read the entire offer and its conditions. For example, there's almost always a limit to the number of spots, so if the offer is for 5 spots, don't whine when you're #6 and get nothing. Sometimes there'll be a contest, competition, or scavenger hunt involved, ranging from easy to complex. If this is the case, and you don't play the game, you're not entitled to a prize. Other times, the artist will be looking for specific genders, species, colour patterns, or scenes, usually to practice something specific. On forums, including FT, there will often be a seniority requirement. For example, on FT, sometimes an artist will make a free art offer only to users Orange Level or Above. And, I've even seen artists offer free art only for those who have no artwork of their character at all. Whatever the case, make sure you follow the conditions of the offer, and if you're not able to do so, find another artist offering free art. Don't beg for free art outside the terms/conditions of what the artist is willing to do.

2b. Related to the above point, if an artist is offering art for members of a particularly forum or website, don't sign up for that website for the sole purpose of getting free art. It's not fair to the other members of that community, and it's not fair to the artist. That said, if you intend to be an active member of the community when you do this, so be it, just make sure you're signing up for more than just the free art.

3. Don't nitpick. While every furry artist generally makes every effort to portray your character the way you want, sometimes mistakes or omissions are made. You're free to politely ask for a correction or revision, preferably during the "pencil sketch" phase, but when no money has been exchanged, the artist is under no obligation to honour your request. When it comes to free artwork, you get what you get, and if you didn't pay for it, niceness and charm are the only way to get revisions done. If you're pushy and demanding, don't be surprised if the artist says "tough cookies". On a related note, if you have an exceptionally complex character, or one with very specific details/markings that are crucial to the character's design, free art might not be the best choice for you.

4. If you can't give them money now, do it later. There are exceptions to this, but in the vast majority of cases, artists who offer free art are doing so for exposure, to get their work out into the fandom, with the hope of increased future business. Promoting their work is important, as mentioned in #1, but if you like what they drew for you, it's a very good idea to get a paid commission from them in the future. At the very least, offer a tip of some kind, whether it's money or something else.

5. Be patient. This goes for any artwork, but it's especially true for free work. Any art takes time to create, and even the people who can crank out amazing work as fast as an old printer need time to work. When it comes to free art, there's the additional caveat that the artist is under no obligation to do it at all. You didn't hire them to draw for you, there was no money exchanged and no business agreement, you're getting something that's a gift, a privilege, and a treat. Therefore, expecting it within any sort of timeframe is unreasonable. Even if an artist gave a specific timeframe, delays happen, although you're welcome to ask if they're still planning to do it if it's been a long time. Just make sure you frame the question as "if", not "when", and be polite and gracious about it.

Note: Art trades aren't freebies, they're a commission paid with barter instead of money, and subject to the same rules of conduct as a paid commission. Any artist who treats trades like freebies isn't worth trading with.